Puzzle Quest 2

Not the full game of course, but the tower defense mobile version of the Xbox 360 game.

Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst integrates with Bing Maps to use real world locations for the tower defense rounds you play in the game. The mobile game also ties in with the Xbox 360 version of Crackdown 2, allowing you to unlock bonus content on both the Windows Phone 7 version and the Xbox 360.

The game will sell for 560 Microsoft Points, or about $7 $2.99. Other games that hit Windows Phone 7 this week inlcude Game Chest: Logic and Puzzle Quest 2.

Namco brings the sequel to the original role-puzzling game to the iPhone, and while Puzzle Quest 2's engaging gameplay is intact, the controls are a little on the tiny side.

I played the original Puzzle Quest on every available platform, and now I seem to be doing the same with Puzzle Quest 2. So far the Xbox Live Arcade version has been my favorite, but that might just be because I love the recliner I've stationed in front of the television set. The new iPhone version gets the job done, but the thick of finger might find the tiny controls more trouble than they're worth.

A robed sorceress meets eyes with an Orc warlord. The mage raises her enchanted staff to meet him, and the mighty titans clash at the height of their fame and glory, turning their weapons forward... to quietly sit down and match gems.

Of course, Puzzle Quest 2 is more than medieval tic-tac-toe. Infinite Interactive has not only refined the original’s gameplay (one of gaming’s most addictive drugs), they’ve created an elaborate scheme to lure you into becoming a pure slave to color matching, temping you with constant rewards.

The shift to a dungeon-crawler presentation, however, wonderfully eases the repetition of gem-matching. You guide your character from an isometric perspective, moving within a many-roomed, many-leveled frozen castle, wading through tons of attractive, original art (as opposed to the gaudy, repetitive map you might expect) between games, creating an intrinsic reward for exploring.

On the game board, PQ2 stuffs steady complexity and strategy into the turn-based template: a range of spells—both yours and your enemies’—make you think purposefully about your moves. By the second chapter, you’re manipulating the board beyond recognition—twisting tiles, replacing rows and setting up double-multipliers to deal damage to your opponent.

I’m almost embarrassed by the sense of drama I felt from such an outwardly modest game. At times I’d hold my breath, hoping the AI wouldn’t match a crucial four-in-a-row that’d net it an extra turn. Minibosses, such as a yeti that I faced early on, mix up the rules so that I was always revising my strategy. Blue matches healed him, red ones damaged him. Suddenly my go-to spell that redirects damage to my blue mana pool was worthless—I had to improvise and come up with a new strategy that relied heavily on my red mana pool to defeat him.

There’s also multiplayer: four competitive modes, and friends or anonymous jewel rearrangers can even play as enemies in your campaign, in case you tire of the AI’s tricks.

If there’s a tedious downside to PQ2, it’s that its minigames aren’t escapes from the “match three” mechanic of the main gameplay. Locked doors, treasure chests, magical seals and hidden traps encountered along your journey are all dealt with by matching more mixed-up icons.

But that’s what we’re here for, right? PQ2 is brain-tickling puzzling in a fantasy wrapper. It runs perfectly in a window while you’re doing something else on your PC; attend to it in free moments to rack up loot, levels, new spells and satisfaction.

Being fans of all things Puzzle Quest, we've just turned on support for Steam Cloud to it and its cousins. This means you'll be able to continue your quest from any machine when launching the Steam version of the following games:

Poisons of the same kind (but with varying rarity and/or race) were stacking - poisons stacking with two varieties of the same base type was never intended and was removed. eg. You can now stack Wyvern with Manticore, or Manticore with Arachna, but not Wyvern with Wyvern, or Manticore with Manticore.

Updated FMOD version

Item drop tables tweaked - players will see less Normal, Fine and Masterwork grade items as they get deeper into the game. They'll see more Legendary and Epic items instead

Escape to a puzzle game fantasy world filled with amazing creatures, powerful weapons, and challenging minigames! Addicting Match 3 gameplay is blended seamlessly with immersive role playing in this sequel to the award-winning Puzzle Quest!

Jump right into the action and customize your character with any one of four classes, each with different skills and abilities. Gain experience and earn treasure as you progress through the adventure, unlocking new spells and harder Match 3 challenges!

Are you a brave enough hero to reclaim the once peaceful village of Verloren from the evil clutches of the demon Gorgon?